low mileage services. Extra charges

[Alb]

I'll ditch the bear and look for a reduction on my service cost then.

 

[pjmuk]

I paid £124 for a 1st service at my nearest dealer (Palmers Hemel). This is for 1 hours labour. I think this is fair and reasonable, and is a fraction of the service costs of my previous Skoda TSi, or my Prius!
I want the dealer to be there next year, rather than charge less!

 

[jamesie]

I paid £124 for a 1st service at my nearest dealer (Palmers Hemel). This is for 1 hours labour. I think this is fair and reasonable, and is a fraction of the service costs of my previous Skoda TSi, or my Prius!
I want the dealer to be there next year, rather than charge less!

What a difference between dealers for 1 hour labour. My ZS EV first service last month for £69.60!

 

[pjmuk]

What a difference between dealers for 1 hour labour. My ZS EV first service last month for £69.60!

I guess it's geography mainly! My son has his ZS serviced in Lincolnshire, where it's much cheaper than the North London commuter belt area where I am!!

 

[Kithmo]

I got 3 years servicing free, but I'd quite happily pay around £100 for the interim (years 1 and 3) and £200 for the major services after paying slightly higher prices for the servicing on my old 2016 Prius but with another £70 on top for the AA cover.

 

[Dr Dave]

Dealers point of view incoming...

I can understand why dealers are charging for anti-perforation checks and AA cover. And before I get shot down, let me explain why. Firstly, this isn't against the law or dodgy practise as long as its explicitly explained before a contract is formed or work is carried out.

Wrong, wrong, wrong, but typical of a dealership to try and peddle this nonsense trying to tell the people on this forum a dealership can charge for something that is stated as FREE on MG's website, really do you think we are that stupid! You are talking complete rubbish with no understanding of the law. Go check with your solicitors before posting regarding legal points of law.

As I quoted in a previous post from MG's website:

'Following on from your initial year's roadside assistance, when you take your car back to your MG dealer for every subsequent scheduled service, if you choose the option, you will receive a further 12 months’ MG Assistance FREE.'

Charging £20.00 for something already paid for i.e. is 'FREE' is fraud UK law is clear on this point.

When you state:

'I can understand why dealers are charging for anti-perforation checks and AA cover. And before I get shot down, let me explain why. Firstly, this isn't against the law or dodgy practise as long as its explicitly explained before a contract is formed or work is carried out.'

There is no contract between the customer and the dealership to provide AA cover, the contract for AA cover is with MG Motor UK Ltd company number 05779958 and the vehicle owner/registered keeper which is sub-contracted to:
UK Breakdown Assistance: 0800 072 3338
MG Assistance
The AA
Swallowfield One
Wolverhampton Road
West Midlands
B69 2AG
This is why a dealership MUST NOT charge for AA cover as there is no contract for this service with the dealership. If a dealership charges for a service i.e. AA cover and have no contract with the customer to provide such cover this is fraud. They might as well charge £20.00 for me having car insurance where again if I have no such contract with the dealership for insurance it would be fraudulent to apply such a charge.
The terms and conditions are with MG Motor UK Ltd as it states at the bottom of the supplied card for MG ASSISTANCE COVER.



 

[AbuG]

...
Morris the Bear and AA Roadside assistance both have a cost to the dealer, I wont say exactly how much, but £20 that you've been quoted isn't making them any money. If they are carrying out a first service on an electric MG for circa £40 (which is the rate MG publicised on their website), that's £33.33 the dealer makes after VAT. If the Bear and AA are £16.67 pre-VAT, then the dealer is 'servicing' your car for £16.67 gross. Factor in the wage of the technician to carry out the service (and yes, I appreciate there's not much to do on a 1st year EV service), the service advisors wage, the operating costs of just opening the workshop doors daily, the wash and vac you come to expect on a service from a main dealer etc. I can promise you, there's a reasonable loss incurred when doing the low mileage service plan for a dealer.

What should happen, and what we do, is explain the difference between the two services and be very explicit about what you do and don't get. For £16.33 on a low mileage service, you get what you pay for... Not a lot. As long as everyone is educated on this before taking out a service plan, I don't see a problem but as with anything, and hence the reason why I've posted this here, if its badly managed and it's not explicit about what you get, it can be very frustrating.

Well by us taking our cars to the dealer they get to carry out updates to software (FCIM, etc) for which they get a fee from MG motors.
As such doing a simple anti-perforation inspection at the same time is minimal additional work... i would be surprised it comes to the £34 that was being asked.. which is doubling the service according to your quoted figure of £33.33.

As for MG Assitance (AA) and "free" teddy, then fianancing this service and product is from MG motors and not the servicing dealer,... moreso, it is already apart of the low mileage plan, that has already been paid for. The only thing the dealer needs to do, is register the service on the Digital service record....Which they should be doing anyway. Hence, to claim to charge for additional time spent for this, is fraudulent... as for trying to defend it, then that is even worse!!

if the low plan wasn't economical for the dealers then they shouldn't have accepted the plan when MG introduced it... that is not the customers fault.

 

[Dr Dave]

Well by us taking our cars to the dealer they get to carry out updates to software (FCIM, etc) for which they get a fee from MG motors.
As such doing a simple anti-perforation inspection at the same time is minimal additional work.

As for MG Assitance (AA) and "free" teddy this service and product come from MG motors and not the servicing dealer, it is already apart of the low mileage plan, that has already been paid for. All the dealer needs to do, is register the service on the Digital service record. Which they should be doing anyway, so to claim to charge additionally for this, is fraudulent... as for trying to defend it, then that is even worse.

if the low plan wasn't economical for the dealers then they shouldn't have accepted the plan when MG introduced it... that is not the customers fault.

Totally agree. It would also be the case that if a dealership charge for AA cover (even though they have no right to do so) because they have charged the customer if, for example, a recovery vehicle dropped the car during recovery and wrote it off because the dealership have made a charge they become responsible for the damage caused as part of the recovery obligations they would now be party to because of the charge made to the customer. They can't have their cake and eat it if you charge for AA cover you take on the obligations.
However such charges for AA cover by dealerships are fraudulent as I have previously stated the dealerships are talking complete rubbish and should be ashamed of themselves.
I am going to report the discussions here by dealerships to MG Motor UK Ltd as MG dealerships should be repremanded for making such assertions on a public forum in misrepresenting the Free MG AA cover.

 

[Ozzie1989]

I am going to report the discussions here by dealerships to MG Motor UK Ltd as MG dealerships should be repremanded for making such assertions on a public forum in misrepresenting the Free MG AA cover.

Whilst I appreciate your frustration let's be careful what you wish for. MG are likely to tell the dealerships not to engage in any social media activity and remove themselves from the forum.

That would be a real shame as we get a lot of help from dealers on this forum.

 

[pjmuk]

I think looking at the current MG website and interpreting what's there to a special low mileage service deal that is no longer available is wrong. I haven't seen the terms of the low mileage service deal, and I'm sure most of us haven't. I would suggest that someone who has purchased one read the contract details to clarify what is included!

 

[Dr Dave]

Whilst I appreciate your frustration let's be careful what you wish for. MG are likely to tell the dealerships not to engage in any social media activity and remove themselves from the forum.

That would be a real shame as we get a lot of help from dealers on this forum.

Dealerships are professional Limited Companies by using this forum to give out totally incorrect and misleading information in relation to the fraudulent charging for AA cover, which is given FREE, by MG Motor UK Ltd is totally unacceptable.

If MG decide such actions as to stop dealerships engaging on social media the dealerships actions are to blame not my calling them out.

 

[Deleted member 6627]

That would be a real shame as we get a lot of help from dealers on this forum.

In return the dealers get a lot from the forum. The refresh ZS is a great example of how the dealers have profited from their their involvement. The lines often blur a bit/lot and I do find myself on the end of a sales pitch more often than I would like on this forum (and podcasts). In fact I have stopped watching the podcasts as a result. Sad but true.

 

[Paulie68]

What we are actually seeing here is the beginning of the end for the current dealer model, which is based on a large percentage of its income being from aftersales ongoing servicing. This cost is currently strong armed onto owners by the threat of complete removal of warranty cover if said servicing requirements are not met.

So we get AA cover, nonsense like free teddy bears and a requirement for annual corrosion checking, cobbled in with the absolutely minimal actual service requirement to desperately try and justify getting us all in to the dealership once a year to still be able to bilk a bit of annual cash from us all.

The reality is, apart from an annual common sense visual inspection of an electric car which could include the corrosion inspection anyway taking less than five minutes more!, and a bi-annual change of a cabin filter, a test only of the brake fluid, (this in most cases only really needs changing every four years in normal service, not the 2 most manufacturers are still insisting on!) and arguably a brake component inspection and caliper assembly lubrication bi-annually, there is almost no maintenance required.

Based on the above, there is no justification for refusing warranty cover, even if nothing is done to the car service wise, apart from in the case of something failing that is provably related to neglect.

This is the model now used by Tesla, and dealers are terrified of it. Yes, some dealerships have great customer service and staff, such as Miles Roberts's lot and Luscombes, many others are simply appalling, but in all cases they're a parasitical business model, used to making very large profits from not much actual work, that need to alter drastically, or die off. They're no longer valid for the EV age.

 

[Dave53]

I paid £124 for a 1st service at my nearest dealer (Palmers Hemel). This is for 1 hours labour. I think this is fair and reasonable and is a fraction of the service costs of my previous Skoda TSi, or my Prius!
I want the dealer to be there next year, rather than charge less!

You should look at the service plan, it is good value for money, in my opinion, the low mileage plan should never have been introduced, the checks you are agreeing to be missed with that plan I found to be too much of a risk, and I wouldn't take out a cheaper plan and expect to get the same as the more expensive plan is not realistic is it.

 

[Dr Dave]

. Yes, some dealerships have great customer service and staff, such as Miles Roberts's lot and Luscombes, many others are simply appalling, but in all cases they're a parasitical business model, used to making very large profits from not much actual work, that need to alter drastically, or die off. They're no longer valid for the EV age.

If you look at post #20 you will find Luscombes behaviour is trying to justify the fraudulent charging, by another dealership, for free AA cover which is actually provided by MG Motor UK Limited.

 

[Striker]

If you look at post #20 you will find Luscombes behaviour is trying to justify the fraudulent charging, by another dealership, for free AA cover which is actually provided by MG Motor UK Limited.

But do you know how the internal cross charging works?

For a regular (non service plan) service, it's quite conceivable that the dealer has to pay a portion of the fee to MG, in order to cover the AA cost. So in reality, like most things, it's not actually free, it's just included in the cost

I can't comment on what's included in the low mileage service plan, is a there a link to this?
Unless the plan says that, AA & Perforation checks are specifically excluded, then 100% there should be no extra charges

 

[Dr Dave]

But do you know how the internal cross charging works?

For a regular (non service plan) service, it's quite conceivable that the dealer has to pay a portion of the fee to MG, in order to cover the AA cost. So in reality, like most things, it's not actually free, it's just included in the cost

I can't comment on what's included in the low mileage service plan, is a there a link to this?
If the plan says that, AA & Perforation checks are not specifically excluded, then 100% there should be no extra charges

I have looked at it and seems very clear to me. Perforation checks can be charged for by a dealership (however the law requires them to agree the charge with you before carrying out the work), quote below from the MG website:

'For the warranty period to remain valid it is required that you have your vehicle inspected every 12 months for the duration of the anti-perforation warranty by an MG Dealer and documented. The dealer may charge for this service.'

However, the AA cover is paid for by MG Motor UK Ltd and provided 'FREE' to the customer, from the MG website quoted below:

'Following on from your initial year's roadside assistance, when you take your car back to your MG dealer for every subsequent scheduled service, if you choose the option, you will receive a further 12 months’ MG Assistance FREE.'

Since MG Motor UK Ltd have paid for the AA cover stating it is FREE to customers i.e. no charge, it is fraud if a dealership charges for services they are not providing.

 

[AussiePete]

Dealers point of view incoming...

I can understand why dealers are charging for anti-perforation checks and AA cover. And before I get shot down, let me explain why. Firstly, this isn't against the law or dodgy practise as long as its explicitly explained before a contract is formed or work is carried out.

Morris the Bear and AA Roadside assistance both have a cost to the dealer, I wont say exactly how much, but £20 that you've been quoted isn't making them any money. If they are carrying out a first service on an electric MG for circa £40 (which is the rate MG publicised on their website), that's £33.33 the dealer makes after VAT. If the Bear and AA are £16.67 pre-VAT, then the dealer is 'servicing' your car for £16.67 gross. Factor in the wage of the technician to carry out the service (and yes, I appreciate there's not much to do on a 1st year EV service), the service advisors wage, the operating costs of just opening the workshop doors daily, the wash and vac you come to expect on a service from a main dealer etc. I can promise you, there's a reasonable loss incurred when doing the low mileage service plan for a dealer.

What should happen, and what we do, is explain the difference between the two services and be very explicit about what you do and don't get. For £16.33 on a low mileage service, you get what you pay for... Not a lot. As long as everyone is educated on this before taking out a service plan, I don't see a problem but as with anything, and hence the reason why I've posted this here, if its badly managed and it's not explicit about what you get, it can be very frustrating.

Sam,

That’s one of the reasons I posted my thread about low mileage service plans. There is however a customer angle on this as the service plan provider should make it clear what is and isn’t included in their service plan and not all do. In my case I asked and the answer was “ask your chosen service provider”

In the absence of the service plan provider making it clear then I would suggest the dealers should do so on the customers 1st visit, and not just the extras for that visit, but the limits on the service plan for the duration of the plan.

 

[Striker]

I have looked at it and seems very clear to me. Perforation checks can be charged for by a dealership (however the law requires them to agree the charge with you before carrying out the work), quote below from the MG website:

'For the warranty period to remain valid it is required that you have your vehicle inspected every 12 months for the duration of the anti-perforation warranty by an MG Dealer and documented. The dealer may charge for this service.'

However, the AA cover is paid for by MG Motor UK Ltd and provided 'FREE' to the customer, from the MG website quoted below:

'Following on from your initial year's roadside assistance, when you take your car back to your MG dealer for every subsequent scheduled service, if you choose the option, you will receive a further 12 months’ MG Assistance FREE.'

Since MG Motor UK Ltd have paid for the AA cover stating it is FREE to customers i.e. no charge, it is fraud if a dealership charges for services they are not providing.

I'm not sure if you follow what I was saying

All I'm saying is that nothing is actally free, in this case, it should have been included in the cost of the service plan. The service plan would've been more expensive, but you'd get "free" AA cover

Its totally normal for the service costs to be divided into number of inter business cross charges, for example......
£x for parts paid to MG
£x to the service dept for labour
£x to the building costs
£x to the office overheads etc etc
To me it wouldn't be unexpected that one of these £x's is a cross charge to MG for the AA portion of the service costs. as that is one of the benefits of purschasing a service

As such, I can see what I think Sam is saying - part of the total service charge is paid to MG

However
My understanding is that a company can not charge separately for something that is offered for free, nor can they give a discount for something that is free if the customer chooses not to have it

In the OP's case, unless specifically excluded from his service plan, there should not be a separate fee for a benefit that MG says come free with the service

Did the OP get his service plan direct from MG or the dealer? On either case, unless they can show an exclusion, they should be sucking up the mistake

 

[AbuG]

I purchased plan via MG Motors. They had assured me that no additional payment is needed, just needed registering to the DSR.
However one week after the service I emailed the dealership to ask if my completed service was registered to the DSR, the service manager was still demanding payment for AA cover, regarding it as an extra and claiming they the dealership will not fund it.
I forward their emails to a helpful chap at MG, who replied informing that will get the AA cover without additional payment.
Just called the AA, to double check and car has cover.
So hopefully it's sorted out